Method for autonomous operation of radiator and appliance microboiler

ABSTRACT

A method for autonomous operation of a radiator and the appliance microboiler, independently and without its removal or disconnection from the heating installation, giving the possibility to operation as single radiator or alternatively within the system where it is installed. The microboiler appliance ( 1 ) consists of a tank ( 2 ) with a tank nozzle ( 3 ) on which an electric resistor with thermostat ( 4 ) is adjusted and current ( 5 ) is supplied, the combustion chamber ( 11 ) with exhaust ( 13 ) and boiler ( 12 ) where the fuel ( 14 ) is supplied. At the bottom of the tank ( 2 ) is connected a cold water return pipe ( 8 ) and at the top of the tank ( 2 ) is connected a hot water outlet pipe ( 6 ). The cold water return ( 8 ) is connected with the bottom inlet of the radiator and hot water outlet ( 6 ) results and is connected to the top inlet ( 7 ) of the radiator with a tee, after we move the tee, on a new position of the radiator&#39;s air vent ( 9 ).

The invention relates to the field of installations (hydraulic and electric) for the heating of buildings and the saving of energy.

A method for autonomous operation of radiator and microboiler appliance (1) of such type that is connected above the radiator of the heating installation, individual or central, making it function autonomously from the heating installation and capable to function alternately with the central heating and in particular without having to cut off or open, via switch, its connection with the remainder installation, does not exist.

There are various patents in the state of the art which aim at providing heating bodies autonomous from the remaining system. FR 867699A (ERNEST CHARLES MARON) relates to on-floor heating bodies, on which an external heater is installed. Water circulates in a natural way, without using a circulator, thereby making the invention suitable to be installed on already existing central heating systems. Similarly, FR 875054 A (RAYMOND VICTOR CLEMENT ANDRE) provides a way of connecting a heating system to already existing central heating systems. Also, DE 2738036 A1 (KELLER ROLAND) and EP 0080428 A1 (MAL PATRICK) are known which provide heating bodies, which incorporated cartridges for the heating thereof. Finally, DE 3640281 A1 (WEISS HANS JOACHIM) provides a heating device, for liquid or gaseous fuels. None of the said patents isolates the heating body, however without cutting it off from the remaining circuit, which would allow both its individual operation and its operation with the remaining circuit as desired. Also, none of the said systems operates both with electricity and with a solid, liquid or gaseous fuel, contrasted to the present invention.

The present method for autonomous operation of radiator and the microboiler appliance (1) have aim to allow heating of a space via the autonomous operation of a single radiator (or a plurality thereof), independently and without cutting it off and disconnecting it from the installation.

It intends to the improvement in the quality of life with improvement in the operation safety of the heating and at the same time in energy saving, since:

1) It can be used in a room of a building only for serving special needs such as a baby child or an aged man or an ill person, without having to heat additionally the entire building.

2) It can be used in individual spaces of a house, office etc during the period before the beginning of the operation of the central heating of building, before the establishment of cold weather and before any co-owners of the building decide, because of the cold weather, to use the central heating, aiming at the improvement in the conditions of life and at economy, without having to activate the entire central heating system, which when it is activated for smaller needs than those that it has been intended to serve, consumes more energy than that required for heating the particular individual space.

3) Since it concerns an individual operation of a radiator and accordingly it requires small quantity of energy in order to function eg resistance with thermostat (4)—500 W to 1000 W are sufficient—it can be connected directly to solar panels of respective power and electric current attribution, so that its operation cost is nullified and it maintains the space satisfactorily warm throughout the time when the central heating of the building is not in operation.

4) Since it requires small quantity of energy to operate, e.g. resistance with thermostat (4)—500 W to 1000 W are sufficient—it may be connected in the future to a hydrogen fuel cell battery, when the development of the relative technology allows it.

5) It may operate with a small-sized boiler (12), which has a chamber (2) and a combustion chamber (11) which will consume natural gas from the urban supply or the liquified gas or any other, liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel.

6) Alternatively it can be applied for serving special needs e.g. a large room, an old residence without permanent installation for a small network system with more than one heating body and can also operate with a higher resistance power with a thermostat (4). Also for the generation of small closed heating system with one or more radiators.

7) It can become a permanent element of the heating installation of the building and obviate the need for purchasing additional thermal appliances with live flame or incandescent resistance, that involve operation dangers and consume excessive energy with small and usually locally limited effect.

The methods and the materials of manufacture of the microboiler (1) of autonomous operation of radiator and saving of consumption which can be used suitably in the present invention, include, in general, known materials and methods of manufacture of hydraulics, from components made of iron, copper, brass or plastic with high resistance to temperature or any other material, that when are connected in the suitable places provide the final required form and operation of the appliance. A special compact manufacture for microboiler (1) is not required, unless reasons of economy in its manufacture make it necessary.

The electric resistances with thermostat (4) that can be used with possible modification for reduction of power and change in the point of the provision in order to guarantee the protection in the region of the cable connections exist in the market for use in various domestic electric appliances, small heaters, boilers and kettles.

The circulation of hot water is effected without mechanic assistance exploiting the impulse that the heating gives to water directing it upwards and prompting it to generate a stream of perpetual motion to the radiator that causes the cold water to enter via the return pipe (8) to the chamber (2) of the microboiler (1) so that it is heated and led again via the hot water discharge pipe (6) to the radiator. The appliance of the microboiler (1) may be adapted and incorporated as permanent element in the radiator bodies by the manufacturers in a version of adaptation and incorporation in the volume of radiator and with resistance with thermostat (4) of special form, or without a thermostat (i.e. self-regulatory) that is manufactured specifically for this purpose.

Advantage of this invention is, that it gives the possibility of autonomy of operation of the individual radiator of room, achieving thus improvement in quality of life because someone may use the heating with safety and any moment he needs even without fuels in the central boiler or when any co-owners do not agree for the time moment of activation of central heating and also there is a saving in the energy consumption, from the non-activation of the central boiler of the installation, for only one individual building or room. The central boiler has large energy losses from the repeated reboots and through the piping during transport of the heating in the individual point of demand and for its operation it also requires larger quantity of energy (fuels) than that it would need in order to heats one only radiator of the total installation. Another advantage is that it creates an operation of the closed circuit type while it remains open with the radiator connected to the existing network, allowing the radiator to operate individually or alternately with the central system. Also it is big advantage that it is incorporated in the existing installation and provides absolute operation safety against any alternative solution of heating a space (stoves with incandescent resistors or oil or liquified gas stoves or woodstoves) which usually consume more energy and heat only locally.

The invention is described below with the help of figures for the general comprehension and with 3D photographic depiction, of different forms of the microboiler appliance (1) depending on the type of the manufacture materials employed, where:

FIGS. 1,2,3, 4,5 and 6 show a schematic illustration of the method of manufacture and the placement of the appliance of autonomy of radiator, with a microboiler (1) that is constituted by a chamber (2) with a chamber orifice (3) for the placement of an electric resistance with thermostat (4) or a self-adjusting electric resistance (4) that is supplied with current (5), or microboiler (1) that is constituted by a chamber (2) with a combustion chamber (11) with an exhaust (13) and a boiler (12) that is supplied with fuel (14), has at the lower part in the chamber (2) a connected cold water return pipe (8) which is connected to the lower entry of radiator, it has at the top of the chamber (2) a hot water discharge pipe (6) that directs the water to the thermal radiator via the entry (7) with T-shaped element, after we switch in T-shaped element, to a new position, the vent valve (9) of the radiator. FIGS. 1,2,3,4,5 and the 6 and FIGS. 7,8,9 and 10 show also the place where the microboiler appliance (1) is connected to the radiator which in turn is connected to the network via the switch (10) on the side of the radiator. Also the microboiler appliance (1) can be connected to the same side where the connections (10) of the radiator to the central network are arranged and above them, interpositioned with interruption and removal of a part of the pipe that directs the hot water of the central boiler to the radiator, ensuring however not to disturb the proper circulation of the hot water in the radiator. Form 6 shows a different type of microboiler (1) that differs in that it has a further combustion chamber (11) with an exhaust (13) and a burner (12) which is supplied with (14) and consumes gaseous or liquid fuel. However a microboiler appliance (1) that consumes solid fuel is also contemplated.

The examples that follow are given aiming at the further explanation of present invention without excluding the manufacturing of different types of microboiler appliance (1) that would carry out the same final operation of the invention described herein.

Example 1

The FIGS. 7 and 8 show a photographic 3D view of the radiator with the mounted microboiler appliance (1), made of iron, in accordance to the present invention, placed in the adjacent part of radiator low, and at the opposite part it is connected to the network.

Analyzing the parts of the iron construction of the microboiler appliance (1) we see that the chamber (2) consists of T-shaped element 1 ½′, constriction from 1 ½′ to 1 ¼′ in order to screw the electric resistance with thermostat (4), constriction from 1 ½′ to ½′ in order to screw the corner ½′ of the cold water return pipe (8), racord 1 ½′ in order to connect a glass-constriction from 1 ½′ to ½′ in order to screw the hot water discharge pipe (6) which is directed to the radiator via the hot water entry (7).

Also we see that the electric resistance with thermostat (4) consists of a folded screw resistance with a reception for a short thermostat which is connected with cables to the ends of the resistance and then the thermostat is connected via a flexible shielded cable to the current supply. We also see that the part of the resistance with the terminals, the connected cables and the connected thermostat are found constrained for protection and safety in a waterproof box, from which the supply cable comes out.

Example 2

Also the FIG. 10 and the FIGS. 4 and 5 show a view of the microboiler appliance (1), made of copper, with a self-adjusting large-length resistance (4) without a thermostat.

Example 3

FIG. 9 shows a photographic 3D view with a microboiler appliance (1) made of copper.

The microboiler appliance (1) may be manufactured in a different form and configuration, as well as it can be incorporated in the lower part and within the volume of thermal radiator as a permanent component thereof. 

1. The method for autonomous operation of radiators is characterized by its operation without the extraction of the radiator from the network with a microboiler appliance (1) installed on the one side or close to the radiator's side or even incorporated in the radiator's body at the bottom of it, however safeguarding the correct circulation of the hot water in the radiator when it operations with the main boiler and the water in it warms up, prompting it—due to the temperature—to ceaselessly circulate in circular movement (radiator—return pipe (8)—chamber (2)—outlet pipe (6)—and inlet pipe (7) in the radiator) for the heat release in the space. It is characterized by the fact that the microboiler appliance (1) operations alternatively with the main boiler without its extraction from the main installation when it operations.
 2. The method requires the existence of the microboiler appliance (1) with a chamber (2) containing an electric resistor with thermostat (4), supplied with current (5), or another type of microboiler appliance (1) with a chamber (2), a combustion chamber (11) and a boiler (12), supplied with natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, or other liquid, gas or solid fuel; the microboiler appliance (1) is placed on the side or close to the side of the radiator or it is incorporated in the radiator's body as an inextricable part thereof.
 3. The method for autonomous operation according to demand 1 and 2 is characterized by the fact that when the radiator is warmed up by the water circulating in it due to the heat and that no circulator is required, without however excluding its existence.
 4. The method for autonomous operation according to demand 1, 2 and 3 is characterized by the fact that the required appliance for its application has an inlet for cold water (8) and outlet for hot water (6), arrayed in a way assisting the hot water circulation in the radiator and may be placed on its exterior, on or close to it or even incorporated in the interior of the radiator's body.
 5. The microboiler appliance (1) for the autonomous operation of the radiator of the building's installation is characterized by its small size, the fact that no mechanic support is required for the hot water circulation, without however excluding its existence and it operations alternatively with the main boiler without requiring the radiator's extraction from the main installation (without however excluding its isolation from the connection switch to the network) when it operations with the microboiler appliance (1) or the main boiler; the only requirement is the deactivation of the one system when the other is on. The materials that may be used for the construction of the microboiler appliance (1) are iron, copper and brass, polypropylene, or any other material resistant to the temperature required for the appliance operation or any combination of the aforementioned materials.
 6. The microboiler appliance (1) for the autonomous operation of the radiator according to demand 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 is furthermore characterized by the fact that it has a chamber (2) and a chamber orifice (3) for the placement of an electric resistor with thermostat (4) or combustion chamber (11) with burner (12), installed on the side of the radiator that is opposite to the side of connection to the central installation, close to the radiator or fixed on it, on the same side with the radiator's connections (10) to the network and above them, however safeguarding the correct circulation of hot water to the radiator and heating up of the water already contained in the radiator, prompting it—due to the temperature—to ceaselessly circulate in circular movement radiator—return pipe (8)—chamber (2)—outlet pipe (6)—and inlet pipe (7) in the radiator) for the heat release in the space. 